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HomePublic Utilities CodeDiv. 10Pt. 15Ch. 6Art. 1§ 103401 Employee Union Representation Votes

§ 103401 Employee Union Representation Votes

Public Utilities Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 103401 Employee Union Representation Votes

This law tells the state how to decide if most workers in a job group want a union, and it sets the rules for when a union’s representation can’t be challenged.

Key Takeaways

  • •A union’s representation can’t be challenged until at least one year after it’s certified or until any contract ends, whichever is later.
  • •The challenge window cannot stay open for more than two years after certification.
  • •The state uses federal rules and its own regulations to run the vote and hearing process.

Example

A city’s sanitation workers were recently voted to be represented by a union. One worker wants to question the vote after six months.

The law says you cannot challenge the union’s certification until one year after the certification date or until any current contract ends, whichever happens later, but you can’t block it for more than two years after the certification.

How to Calculate

ChallengeWindowEnd = MAX(CertificationDate + 1 year, AgreementExpirationDate) BUT NOT LATER THAN CertificationDate + 2 years

  1. Write down the date the labor organization was certified (CertificationDate).
  2. Add one year to that date.
  3. Find the date the current collective bargaining agreement expires (AgreementExpirationDate).
  4. Compare the two dates from steps 2 and 3 and pick the later one.
  5. If the later date is more than two years after CertificationDate, use CertificationDate + 2 years instead.

CertificationDate = July 15, 2022; AgreementExpirationDate = July 31, 2025

Result: ChallengeWindowEnd = July 31, 2025 (later of July 15, 2023 or July 31, 2025) but limited to July 15, 2024 (two years after certification), so the challenge window ends on July 15, 2024.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 103401 Employee Union Representation Votes

Any question which may arise with respect to whether a majority of employees in an appropriate unit desire to be represented by a labor organization shall be submitted to the Public Employment Relations Board. In resolving those questions of representation, including the determination of the appropriate unit or units, petitions, and the conduct of hearings and elections, the director shall apply the relevant federal law and administrative practice developed under the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, as amended, and, for this purpose, shall adopt appropriate rules and regulations. The California State Mediation and Conciliation Service shall administer any rules and regulations and shall provide for a prompt public hearing and secret ballot election to determine the question of representation and shall certify the results to the parties. Any certification of a labor organization to represent or act for the employees in any collective bargaining unit shall not be subject to challenge on the grounds that a new substantial question of representation within the collective bargaining unit exists until the lapse of one year from the date of certification or the expiration of any collective bargaining agreement, whichever is later, except that no collective bargaining agreement shall be considered to be a bar to representation proceedings for a period of more than two years. (Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 46, Sec. 134. (SB 1038) Effective June 27, 2012.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

agreementrepresentationemploymentorganizationcertificationterminationemployeehearing

Related Statutes

  • § 100301 Representation Dispute Resolution
  • § 100310 Public Employment Relations Board Jurisdiction
  • § 102401 Public Employee Collective Bargaining
  • § 40122 Employee Representation Determination
  • § 40121 Labor Contract Anti-Discrimination Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Public Utilities Code. Section 103401.
View Official Source